There are three steps to set goals for the New Year: Identify the specific goal you want to achieve using the SMART framework. Then create a Process based on specific steps you can repeat until you achieve your goal. Finally, develop habits that will trigger you to automatically complete the steps you’ve identified.

It’s that time of year and the topic is a familiar one: New Year’s Resolutions.

Like many others I’ve created these so-called “resolutions” and found that it didn’t really work for me after all.

What I’ve discovered is a better way to create a lasting change is to modify the habits and rituals we have in daily life.

Setting a goal isn’t enough. We need to create a process to obtain the goal.

Creating a process is much more fulfilling in the end because once the goal has been reached… You can keep on going, beyond the goal!

Or perhaps, you can set an even higher goal. Or you might put your energy towards something completely different.

Why Having a Process is Better than Just a Goal

Goals are helpful because they serve as targets to let us know when we’ve been successful.

It’s good to have something specific to look at and know that we’re making progress.

I look at goals like mile markers on the side of the road. Every goal should have metrics to identify if progress is being made.

If I’m driving north from Phoenix on I-17 then the numbers should be going up if my goal is to get to Flagstaff.

This is what SMART goals are all about. Goals should be:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Time-bound

This is all well and good… In the realm of personal goals I’ve found a missing step and that is deciding on the process you will use to get there.

A process is the specific sequence of steps you will use to achieve your goal.

You can have a process and achieve your goal. But a goal without a process will not achieve the desired result.

This is why having a process is more important than only having a goal. Although it’s nice to know when you “get there” if you’ve already decided on a specific goal.

How to Create A Process To Achieve Your Goal

Most of our lives are made up of habits.

We have all kinds of habits and rituals without even realizing it.

For example, you probably brush your teeth two times a day. This isn’t something you were born with. It’s a behavior you learned and conditioned yourself to do two times a day.

However, if you’ve been traveling, moving, or partying all night long… You may have accidentally skipped your usual ritual of brushing twice daily.

This is to be expected. These automatic behaviors happen in certain situations called “triggers.”

You can trigger an elaborate sequence of steps that will happen automatically. But if you remove the trigger, there’s no guarantee that you’ll follow all of the steps you wanted to take.

Build A Habit of Following Your Process that Will Help You Achieve Your Goal

If you want to achieve your goals.. Here’s what I suggest –

1. Specifically identify the goal / target you want to achieve.

Use the SMART method if you don’t already have a clear way to set good goals.

This is only the first step, it’s not enough to know where you want to go. Now you need a process to get you there…

2. Identify the Process that will get you there.

A Process is the specific steps that, when repeated, will help you achieve your goal.

Nearly every goal can be achieved when it’s broken down into small steps that are relatively easy to complete.

3. If a step is too difficult, then break it into smaller steps that are easily completed.

If you’re ever stuck then this is a sign that the step is too difficult or that the desired result has not been clearly defined.

You can go back and refine your original goal so that it’s made even better.

Avoid the Perfectionism Trap

Many people allow the desire for perfection to overcome their desire to achieve their goals.

Which is more powerful for you?

If something is incomplete is it actually perfect? No.. it’s not even finished!

If you never achieve your goal did you actually achieve perfection?

For me, it’s clear that something that is unfinished is not perfect.

If you’re still not sure, I’d like to point out that perfection is merely an ideal that exists only in our mind, not in reality.

Having a perfect ideal in our mind is useful because it helps direct our energy in a productive way, but nothing is ever “actually” perfect because our idea of what perfection actually is changes constantly based on our perceptions.

Actually, completing something imperfectly gives you a greater possibility of making it closer to your idea of “perfect” because you get the chance to improve it incrementally.

This idea works in reverse as well.. If you find yourself chronically dissatisfied with everything you may want to adjust your perception.

Usually the most useful way to do this would be to take a Big Picture view of your circumstances.

Imagine your circumstances in a global perspective or even historically.

Does your setback “really matter” in the big picture of things?

Is there something positive about the situation you can appreciate or laugh about?

When we’re relaxed our mind and body work better to help us achieve our aim, so this exercise may be more useful than it appears.

Learn from Successful People

If you’re not sure what process to follow to achieve your goal, I suggest finding someone else who has already reached the goal you would like to achieve.

Results are the truest measure of a process. This is why I prefer to pay attention to what somebody does and what they achieve rather than what they say.

(Maybe you know somebody who always berates themselves and says their work is terrible even though it’s very good, perhaps even great. Artists are notoriously hard on themselves, for example.)

Then you can dissect their process for achieving the goal and put it into a format that works for you in your current circumstances.

If possible, you can email them and ask for advice. If they are more well-known and not as accessible you can look for books they’ve written or interviews.

There is so much we can glean and learn from paying attention to someone who has already achieved your goal.

Go get ‘em

This year, I hope you will focus on identifying the best process for achieving your goal.

Specifically identifying what you would like to achieve is helpful but without a process you will not achieve anything.

I hope this was helpful for you, leave any questions or comments down below… Good luck and godspeed!